Several big-time running backs locked up long-term extensions last year, and the early dividends were quite impressive. Derrick Henry signed a four-year, $50 million deal to stay with the Titans, and he rewarded them with an MVP-caliber campaign in 2020 in which he posted 2,027 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns, both league highs. Alvin Kamara agreed to stay in Who Dat Nation for five more years, and a league-best 21 rushing and receiving touchdowns later, the team was pretty happy with their decision. Dalvin Cook's extension was also for five years, and just as he was rewarded handsomely, so too were the Vikings with Cook's second consecutive Pro Bowl campaign and nearly 2,000 total yards in just 14 games.
But none of those extensions were quite as big as that of Ezekiel Elliott's, signed prior to 2019 for six years and $90 million. That was a big commitment to make but was also one that seemed to be worth it. After all, Zeke led the NFL in rushing yards in both 2016 and 2018, was a Pro Bowler in those two seasons and in 2019, and seemed to be a surefire top-tier running back for years to come. With a commitment like that, he'd better be.
But both the eye test and the analytics will tell you that he might have already fallen out of that aforementioned elite tier of running backs. While Henry, Kamara and Cook all belong without much question — Pro Football Focus ranked all of them in the top five running backs ahead of the 2021 season — Elliott's case is murky. For PFF, he's not in the top five. Heck, he's not even in the top ten. Here's what analyst Sam Monson had to say about Elliott, who PFF ranked at No. 12 after he came into the 2020 season at No. 6:
You don’t have to go back very far to find Zeke Elliott at the top of lists like these, but he is coming off a tough year in which he ground out 4.0 yards per carry with a 68.7 PFF rushing grade behind an offensive line that struggled. Elliott hasn’t looked at his best for some time now but remains a good back without many real flaws.
Elliott's overall PFF grade from 2020 was 65.3, tying him with Joe Mixon at... No. 49 among all halfbacks. Yikes. Not exactly what you want to see from your franchise star. Then again, last year was an injury-riddled season for the Cowboys and one that wasn't all that conducive to an effective rushing attack due to defensive woes as well. Obviously, PFF is taking that into account when boosting him from No. 49 back into the top 12, and it's possible that a bounce-back season is in store.
However, another obstacle to his success may be lurking in the very same backfield, seeing as Tony Pollard finished 2020 with a 71.3 grade and is ranked at No. 21, with this description from Monson:
If Pollard was sitting behind any other back, he might have already carved a far bigger role for himself. He is tied with Nick Chubb for the best broken tackle rate in the league since he was drafted (0.25) and tied with Derrick Henry for the best yards after contact per carry average (4.0).
It will be interesting to see how it plays out, and even more interesting to see what the Cowboys want to do with Zeke should Pollard somehow completely supersede him as the primary running back.
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